GHOSTS, GHOULS AND things that go
bump in the night—Halloween is just around
the corner, bringing a chance to dress up and
enjoy a night of fun-filled frights. It’s become
one of the most celebrated holidays in the
U.S., and according to a National Retail
Federation (
www.nrf.com) survey carried out
last year, more people than ever are getting
into the spirit of things at Halloween. In 2011
seven out of 10 Americans planned to celebrate Halloween, with nearly half ( 49. 5 percent) intending to decorate their home or
yard and more than a third ( 34. 3 percent)
planning a party.

Ever wonder how Halloween got started?
As with most celebrations, the customs and
traditions of Halloween have emerged over
time, evolving alongside spiritual and religious
beliefs and changing lifestyles, but its earliest
origins are thought to come from Europe,
stemming from the ancient Celtic pagan festival of Sahmain, or summer’s end. That community celebration marked the annual harvest
and the start of a new year and was held on
November 1, when people believed the spirits
of the dead were active. Bonfires were often lit
as part of the festivities.

During the Middle Ages, some elements ofthis pagan celebration merged with observanceof the Christian feast day of All Saints or AllHallows, which was followed by All Souls Dayto commemorate the dead, so the night beforethe festivities became known as All HallowsEve, or Hallow E’en. At this time, children andthe poor would go from house to house “soul-ing”—begging for small soul cakes in return forsaying a prayer for the dead, which was proba-bly the starting point of modern-day trick-or-treat visits.By the 19th and 20th centuries, Britishfolklore suggests, Halloween celebrations wereconfined largely to Scotland and northernEngland, but activities still revolved aroundchildren who would disguise themselves andvisit local houses, often sporting candle lanternscarved from turnips to scare people.

However, as people started to emigrate to
America, some of the age-old traditions crossed
the Atlantic with them, and once stateside, they
evolved once more into the hugely popular and
more secular family-centered event that is celebrated today as a fun-filled night of Halloween
costumes, masks and scary moments. These
fun American-style celebrations have gone full
circle now, and festivities with carved pumpkins, costumes and spooky visitor attractions
have become increasingly popular overseas in
the UK. It just shows the power of global customs and celebrations. C

Ghostly gatheringsand fiendish food • •

The Costco Connection
You’ll find Halloween costumes and decorations, plus plenty of food and beverages for
entertaining, at your local Costco warehouse.

HALLOWEEN IS THE perfect celebrationfor enjoying horribly good fun with friendsand family, and there are lots of ways to enjoysome spooktacular fun at home thisHalloween. We’ve taken advice from someprofessional party-planning experts to bringyou these top tips.